We are always grateful to hear from our readers. A lot of times, you add some wonderfully helpful gardening advice, too! If you’d like your feedback to be shared, please comment below or email your comments, feedback, and suggestions to submissions@foodgardening.com with “Subscriber Feedback” in the email subject line.
 

“I propagate my Rosemary by selecting one of the long flexible stems and lightly scrape the bark away for a 1-inch length and halfway around the stem. I then bend the stem down to where the exposed scrape is touching the ground and place a brick on it to hold it in place plus block out the light. In a few months it will have a root cluster that can be cut away from the mother plant and leave you with a new transplant.”

• D. Anthony

“Starting a lot of plants can take room and basements are often the place but not warm enough … mats are expensive. I’ve solved the problem two ways. I start all of a variety in a single 4” pot. They are all on a tray sitting on an inverted cardboard box containing that partially lit string of Christmas lights. Later transplant the strongest to deep individual pots. Saves having two nice starts in the same tangle of roots or none at all. They also have nice long roots at the second true leaf point versus the tangle from an egg carton. Last year, I filled ten flats from my initial tray of seedlings. The deep 4” pots allow the roots to all but fall apart. Just remember to handle the leaves and not the stems.”

• Gene

“Pay attention to wind current when selecting location of greenhouse. We erected a small 6×8 or 8×10 greenhouse with a metal frame and plexiglass panels from a kit. We thought the tree-lined windrow and our home and outbuilding would block strong winds but we were wrong. By the end of 3rd year, we had missing panels and a bent frame. Our greenhouse would not have survived the first year if we had located it on the south side of the house which was more open to west and east winds.

• Joyce R.

“When I plant blueberry bushes, I pound in a stake about 4 feet tall. I tie one corner of an 8-10 foot long piece of tulle (think bridal veil) to the top of the post. Then I loosely drape/wrap the tulle around the plant in circles, overlapping the tulle, walking around and around until it’s covered. Stick to ground with 3-4 landscaping staples. Sun and water get right in. Critters and birds stay out. Remove staples for harvest. (Seal gaps if any, with binder clips from the office supply store.) This always works to protect the harvest!”

• Anonymous

“As a consummate D-I-Yer, farmer and gardener I appreciate the kinds of articles that address my interests. I wasn’t sure this site would fit me when I first subscribed, but I am so far pleased with what you offer. As long as there are articles that solve everyday farm and garden problems, I will continue to subscribe. Thanks!”

• A friendly anonymous response to our May issue survey